Mayors Against Illegal Guns Co-Chairs Applaud Confirmation of Steve Dettelbach As ATF Director

Steve Dettelbach is the First Confirmed Director in Almost a Decade, Ushering In Long-Awaited Leadership to the Agency 

NEW YORK — Today, the ten co-chairs of Mayors Against Illegal Guns, a nonpartisan coalition of more than 1,000 current and former mayors that is part of Everytown for Gun Safety, applauded the confirmation of Steve Dettelbach as the first Senate-confirmed Director of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosive (ATF) in almost a decade, ushering in long-awaited leadership to the agency. 

In response to today’s confirmation, Mayors Against Illegal Guns Co-Chairs Mayor Brandon Scott (Baltimore, MD), Mayor Tim Kelly (Chattanooga, TN), Former Mayor Steve Benjamin (Columbia, SC), Mayor Quinton Lucas (Kansas City, MO), Mayor Shawyn Patterson-Howard (Mount Vernon, NY), Mayor Eric Adams (New York, NY), Former Mayor Michael Tubbs (Stockton, CA), Mayor Tishaura Jones (St. Louis, MO), Mayor Jane Castor (Tampa, FL), and Mayor Regina Romero (Tucson, AZ) issued the following statement: 

“A strong ATF is central to our efforts to stop the flow of illegal guns into our cities and hold the gun industry accountable, and yet it has been nearly a decade since we had a Senate-confirmed director at the helm. We look forward to working with Director Dettelbach as he leads thousands of dedicated law enforcement officers within ATF to work with cities to curb the trafficking of illegal guns and rein in rogue gun dealers.” 

Since 2006, the ATF has only had one Senate-confirmed director and has been without a permanent director since 2015. Dettelbach’s confirmation will provide direction to thousands of law enforcement officers within ATF, enhance implementation and enforcement of existing gun laws, and lead ATF into the 21st Century. 

In May, the co-chairs of Mayors Against Illegal Guns sent a letter to the Senate urging the confirmation of Dettelbach, in addition to a bipartisan letter from over a hundred mayors from the U.S. Conference of Mayors (USCM). Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas, chair of the Criminal and Social Justice Committee and co-chair of Mayors Against Illegal Guns, led the bipartisan effort to pass a resolution supporting Dettelbach at the 90th Annual Meeting of USCM in Reno. Additionally, Cleveland Mayor Justin Bibb submitted a letter from over 50 mayors endorsing the nomination and swift confirmation of Dettelbach. The confirmation of Steve Dettelbach is a win for mayors, law enforcement, and cities working to end gun violence.